1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a metal carrier. More particularly, the present invention relates to a metal carrier which is arranged in some place within an exhaust gas passage of an internal combustion engine for holding back a catalyst which is capable of reducing the exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, metal carriers made of metal foils of band-like flat sheet and corrugated sheet wound or laminated together, such as the one disclosed in the Japanese Utility Model Publication Laid-Open No. 4-62316. On the other hand, a metal carrier provided with slit parts throughout metal foils, constructing the metal carrier holding the catalyst has been disclosed in the Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 3-71177.
However, the metal carrier disclosed in the Japanese Utility Model Publication Laid-Open No. 4-62316 has a problem that this catalyst has so large a heat capacity that, at a low temperature, it takes a long time to achieve the temperature at which the catalyst is active, and as a result, until the catalyst is activated, unreduced exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine is exhausted into the atmosphere.
On the other hand, the metal carrier disclosed in the Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 3-71177 has a problem that the strength of metal carrier itself is weakened by the slit parts formed throughout the metal foil.